REGINA: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) continued its fight for lower taxes today by releasing figures that show an enormous one-year jump in property tax bills. Information obtained from the Department of Municipal Affairs through Freedom of Information reveals a huge increase in municipal and school tax revenues in 2001 over 2000 right across the province:

Municipal taxes, school taxes, and total property taxes for all municipalities increased by 7%;

Total property taxes (municipal tax and school tax) for rural municipalities rose 9.5%

Total property taxes (municipal tax and school tax) for urban municipalities increased by 4.3%

Total property taxes (municipal tax and school tax) on agricultural land grew by 10.3%;

School taxes on agricultural land jumped by 15% (or by more than $20 million)

"Property and school taxes are rising astronomically, but taxpayers' incomes are not," says Sask-CTF Director Richard Truscott. "Perhaps the most alarming trend is that taxpayers in rural areas and on the farm, the same people who are least able to pay higher taxes because of the depressed rural economy, are seeing by far the largest hikes in their property tax bill."

"These massive increases go a long way to wiping out the benefits from the temporary farm tax rebate program that ends this year," adds Truscott.

The CTF has presented two petitions with a total of 22,500 taxpayers' names to Premier Calvert, demanding a significant decrease in school taxes. Property taxes fund 59% of education costs in Saskatchewan, compared to the average of 26% for all provinces. The next heaviest burden is in Manitoba, where 51% of education is paid for by property taxes, while in New Brunswick, PEI, and Newfoundland education is funded entirely by the province with other tax revenues.

"The government's policy of reducing provincial funding for schools, downloading on municipalities, and ignoring rising property taxes has compounded the problems facing our province, and particularly our rural areas. At minimum, there needs to be a plan in place to reduce Saskatchewan's punitive property and school tax burden," says Truscott.
CTF Provincial Director, Richard Truscott, will be meeting with provincial Finance Minister Eric Cline today (Wednesday March 20th) at 9:30 a.m. at the legislature. Mr. Truscott will be available to speak to the media after the meeting at 10:30 a.m. outside the Minister's office (Room 312).